Upon the release of the Specialized Epic 9, which boasts a very impressive 8.5kg overall weight, Canyon has thrown its hat into the ring with the new Lux. It’s not as svelte as Spesh’s entry, but it’s another that weighs less than 10kg. Are we just at the beginning of a new era of super lightweight cross-country bikes?
It’s not the first time we’ve seen the words ‘light, fast, and capable’ grace a cross-country bike’s press release, and with those with a penchant for smaller travel, super speedy bikes, and shaving all the weight possible, that may mean great things. But those words are packed within the presser of Canyon’s new Lux World Cup, as the brand claims to have built the new XC bike using “state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing techniques” to achieve a system weight of 9.82kg, on a medium frame.
Lightweight can often mean that things aren’t as durable as weightier products. However, it seems that Canyon has addressed that. The Lux World Cup uses fewer small parts, better access to bearings, and what it says are “clearly defined service points”.
While ditching excess grams is great and all, modern XC bikes need to be capable of coping with the demands that modern courses are throwing at them, and Canyon reckons it’s achieved that through a few avenues. To start with the suspension, it employs 110mm of bounce at the back, combined with 120mm up front. But the brand says that it’s built a more consistent progression throughout the rear travel, claiming that there’s less progression in the first half than before, making the bike more active, plush, and grippy at the start of the stroke while giving it enough progression towards the end of the stroke to remain composed during bigger hits.
Speaking of the suspension, the Lux World Cup now features adjustable anti-squat. That’s achieved by a flip chip on the main pivot, which Canyon says allows riders to “tune their pedalling efficiency and suspension feel to match the gear setups” riders choose on a course-to-course basis.
Capability is coming a real talking point of new cross-country bikes, as a confident bike that’s easy to ride down a hill makes an excellent opportunity for racers to relax a touch, during those red-line race efforts. With that, Canyon has rejigged the Lux World Cup’s geometry to suit. It benefits from a slacker head angle and a longer wheelbase, introducing a 66-degree head angle and 1216mm wheelbase on a large frame. Other numbers include a 75.5-degree seat tube angle, a 440mm chainstay (425mm on sizes M and under), and a large frame gets a 475mm reach.
There are five models of the Canyon Lux World Cup available, with the Lux World Cup CFR rocking top-shelf Shimano XTR Di2 shifting, a Fox 34 SL Factory fork paired with a Float SL Factory shock, and Pirelli Scorpion XC RC Lite 2.4″ tyres. That bike will set you back €7,999. The range then starts at the Lux World Cup CF, which comes sorted with SRAM Eagle 90 gears, a RockShox Select+ fork with the brand’s SIDLuxe Select+ shock. This one rolls on Schwalbe’s Racing Ray and Racing Ralph tyres, measuring 2.35 inches in width. The entry bike will set you back €3,999.
Is the new Lux deluxe? We’re hoping to get our hands on a test bike and find out soon…
